Brockton promotes cool cause

Saturday

Aug 16, 2014 at 8:53 PMAug 16, 2014 at 9:14 PM

Brockton does Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness of ALS and help a Brocktonian afflicted with disease

Staff Reporter

BROCKTON – The ice water was flowing at D.W. Field Park Saturday as about 25 Brockton residents participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for those afflicted by ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.“First and foremost, we are doing this for a native Brocktonian,” said Jacob Tagger, who organized the event.

Tagger was referring to William Clancy, a city resident who suffers from ALS and was at the event with his family.

The proceeds from the event went directly to Clancy and his family as well as the ALS Family Charitable Foundation, which provides services and support for individuals suffering from the disease and their families.

“I didn’t realize there was someone that close to me who has it,” said Tagger, who learned about Clancy through a friend who also happens to be one of Clancy’s relatives.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Specifically, the disease affects motor neurons, which control muscle movement. As the disease progresses, degeneration of the motor neurons eventually leads to the neurons’ death, thereby weakening voluntary muscle action and often leaving patients totally paralyzed in later stages of the disease.

On average, patients live for between two to five years after receiving their diagnosis. About 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS in the United States each year, and it is estimated that 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time.

Debbie Bell, a patients services coordinator with the ALS Family Charitable Foundation, said the group currently works with about 10 families struggling with ALS in the Brockton area alone.

Since starting in July, the Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral spreading like wildfire across social media. Participants in the challenge make donations to different ALS aid groups and film themselves dumping a bucket of ice water on their head before posting the video online and challenging friends and family to do the same.

“I’m glad it came on Facebook the way it did. It just took right off,” said Clancy’s mother Ruth Nyberg.

“We’ve tried all different things to get awareness to this,” Nyberg said. “I can’t believe this (the ice bucket challenge) has gone so far.”

As of Saturday, the ALS Association, a national non-profit battling ALS, has raised $11.4 million since July 29, compared to $1.7 million for the same period last year. It has also received donations from 220,255 new sources in that period.

While Nyberg said she was happy that so many people have donated to the ALS Association, she was glad that Tagger chose to have his event donate to the ALS Family Charitable Foundation because “they are helping here and now with people like Billy.”

After taking part in Friday’s event, Danielle Clancy, William’s sister, described it as “awesome” and said that she was happy people were trying to get the word out about the disease.

She was also happy to be able to do something for her brother. William Clancy is now confined to a wheelchair and must use a communication device to talk with people due to his ALS.

“He was always there for us as a family, and now it’s our turn to be there for him,” Danielle said.

After the event, Nyberg expressed her gratitude for Tagger and all of the other individuals who participated in Saturday’s challenge.